Sunday, May 04, 2008

I have a standard chocolate cookie recipe, I know it so well I could give it to you from memory and it's served me well for a dozen years.

But apparently it's getting old with Andrew because he was going through my December issue of FamilyFun magazine and came across their recipe for Chocolate Crinkles.

"CHOCOLATE CRINKLES!" He squealed before ripping the recipe out and bringing it to me with those puppy dog eyes. Those eyes.

He claimed his mom had made them for him when he was young and that he'd been looking for this chocolate crinkly reunion for lo these many years.

"Yea, whatever. I'll make the cookies," I said. And a couple days later after dinner I plopped a plate of Chocolate Crinkles down in front of him.

He took a bite.

"Did you roll these in powdered sugar?" he asked skeptically through a mouthful.

"What?" I said, inwardly very irritated that he could tell that I'd cut that corner. How did he know??

"Yea, you didn't roll these in powdered sugar." he said, putting down the cookie, as if the case was closed and there was no point in finishing such an abomination.

I refrained from telling him where he could put that cookie--held back only by the sheer force of true love--but I wasn't giving up quite yet. My cookie honor was at stake.

I made up a second batch a few days later, properly and carefully rolled in powdered sugar before they were baked just as my neurotic but handsome husband had suggested and again I plopped down a cookie plate for dessert to see what the verdict was.

They were good. The powdered sugar rolling had made them a little crusty and crunchy (I suppose that's where the "crinkle" part comes in) but honestly? I wasn't convinced that all that extra rolling effort was worth it. They were good--but were they worth getting my hands all messy? I'm still not sure so here I am, posting both recipes and you can decide which you prefer. I'll leave a poll at the end if you're feeling particularly domestic and end up making them both you can vote for yourself and see which way the votes go. The votes don't lie.

Cream the butter and sugars. Then add the vanilla and eggs and mix thoroughly. Then add the flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Mix and add in the chocolate chips toward the end so that they get mixed in before the dough starts clumping completely together.

Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes. You can also add a half cup of flaked coconut, walnuts or peanut butter chips for fun variety.

In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, cocoa powder and sugar; beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly mix in the wet ingredients, then stir in the chips. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in confectioners' sugar. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 12 minutes.

I have a Molasses Crinkles recipe, and instead of rolling them in sugar, which takes a while, you just sprinkle white sugar on them once they're on the cookie sheet, and then you spritz them with a little water. Production-line style, and much quicker -- and it still produced that lovely crinkle. That might be a deal breaker for you.

I'd love to vote on these recipes, but as I've done nothing but bake birthday cakes for the past few weeks, I think we need a brief sweets break in our house. :) Looking forward to trying these when I'm not all sugared out...

Not a big cookie fan, so I shouldn't vote. What was the vote in your house? We know what Andrew likes, but what about you and the kids? I think you need to have them both side by side, and try it out. ;)

It is sooooo good to be back reading Scribbit. I tried to update my browser on my Mac, but made the fatal mistake of not checking to see if the browser update was compatible with my operating system. And just like that, ALL my bookmarks vanished. Hundreds of them. It was un-exaggerated tragedy. Finally, today, I am getting a few of my favorite blogging bookmarks back, which includes my glimpse into Alaskan life via you.

As for the cookies, I feel your pain. My husband is certain that a lady he used to work for has the PERFECT chocolate cookie recipe. I have asked her about this recipe twice, and she has no idea what I'm talking about. But every time I make my perfectly delectable recipe (which my husband has no problem eating), he mentions,"Ah, these are good, but you should really call Judy and get her chocolate cookie recipe. It's the best." When he says that, I'm always tempted to make him chocolate cookies, but leave out the chocolate entirely.

Chocolate Crinkles are a favorite from my childhood as well. But now my more grownup, refined taste prefers these Black Gold Cookies. There are two teaspoons of chocolate for every 1/2 teaspoon of flour. Chocoholic heaven!

I have never made chocolate cookies. I just go straight for the brownies. Just made peanut butter cookies for my husband last night. I will keep both recipes handy and give one a try when the pb's run out.

I feel deprived. I know chocolate cookies well, but have never heard of Chocolate Crinkles. So thanks for the recipe....I'll try out the crinkles and see if they replace my double chocolate cookies (from the inimitable America's Test Kitchen cookbook) in my family!

My chocolate crinkle recipe is definately a cheater recipe but it is a family favorite. I make them for holidays and potluck type occasions. I am always asked for the recipe and then no one can believe they are so easy.

We all probably have our favorite chocolate cookies...mine is different because it uses chocolate pudding. People always ask me for the recipe when they try them. So here you go! (P.S. I'll try yours too. I'm always up for a yummy cookie recipe)

I would vote, but by the time I get around to making two batches of cookies, none of us will have any teeth left. Although if it will help you, I'll go ahead and vote for the non-rolling recipe, if for no other reason than to annoy the eye-roller. I try to avoid making things hubby had and loved as a child. It's just asking for trouble. My mother used to make chocolate cookies out of chocolate cake mix, but I can't remember how she did it.

Your recipe sounds better...but I admit I haven't tried either of them yet. I love baking...so I am anxious to try these out (maybe put my own flair to them...I just can't leave well-enough alone).Here's a link to my own chocolate cookie recipe. It gets rave reviews from my friends and family.I'm a big believer that quality of ingredients makes for a better result. Happy Baking to all! :)

I'm laughing because my husband is like that anytime I try to make one of his childhood treats. "You have to ice them." "They don't look like kielke.""We always ate our waffles with pink pudding.""This pink pudding tastes wrong. Did you use red Christmas sugar to color it?""Actually, I always hated cabbage."

We finally got a chance to test these side by side and we definitely both agree that your recipe is the better chocolate cookie! I could think of a number of add-ins that would make your cookies dynamite (I'm trying peanuts next, Teo wants walnuts), and Teo says that the crinkles taste too generic and storebought cocoa-ey. Michelle wins!

Here is a low fat version of the same 'crinkle' recipe. It came from Eating Well magazine a zillion years ago. My daughter ( 17) said that 'she couldn't eat another Christmas cookie' if I couldn't find 'the' crinkle recipe. I enjoy the blog!Chocolate CrinklesPrep time: 30 minutes, start to finish: 31/4 hours (including chilling time)

To make ahead: The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months. Sprinkle with fresh confectioners' sugar after thawing.

Ease of preparation: moderate.

Very dark and chocolate, these sugar-coated rounds are remarkably low in fat -- a mere two grams per cookie. A tin of Chocolate Crinkles is the perfect gift for the chocoholic who is trying to cut back on fat.

Sift flour, 11/2 cups confectioners' sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl.

Combine chocolate and oil in a heavy medium saucepan; warm over very low heat, stirring frequently, until just melted and smooth; be very careful that the chocolate does not scorch. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla until well blended. Using a whisk, beat egg whites into the chocolate mixture until no lumps of brown sugar remain. With a wooden spoon, gently stir the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients just until smooth. Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls, at least 21/2 hours and up to eight hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat several baking sheets with cooking spray.

Put the remaining one cup confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl. Dusting your hands with additional confectioners' sugar, roll portions of dough into one-inch balls between your palms. Dredge each ball in confectioners' sugar until heavily coated. Place the balls on baking sheets, about 11/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the tops are almost firm when tapped, eight to ten minutes. Cool for two minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. makes about four dozen cookies. per cookie: 96 calories; 2 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 40 mg sodium.